


a subtle bouquet of 'fuck you'

by morhpeus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Florist!Remus, M/M, Marauders' Era, Mysterious!Sirius, don't worry lily is a precious child who needs protection and i love her very much, writer!remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 14:58:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15221687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morhpeus/pseuds/morhpeus
Summary: “Listen—” the man started, running his hand through his hair impatiently. “One of my best mates just got fucked over by this bird—red haired, fiery witch,” he spit, “And I reckon that ‘Fuck you’ in flower is less harsh than a verbal ‘Fuck you.’”Remus tried to gather his scattered thoughts, but it was futile. This was all rather different from a quiet Tuesday sitting behind a desk daydreaming about faraway places and perfectly chiseled jawlines.





	a subtle bouquet of 'fuck you'

Full Moon Florals was a quaint place, all exposed brick and copper piping and chilly draughts. Huge windows filtered in the sun and bright floral arrangements filled the store, giving the space quite a nostalgic feeling of comfort.

Remus Lupin spent quiet days arranging flowers, filling orders, and making sales. It was the way he preferred it: an unhurried, almost lazy atmosphere where he could quietly decide which colors belonged in which arrangement. 

It wasn’t that bouquet arrangement was his life’s passion, but when his father passed away, Lyall Lupin had passed the store onto his son. Remus, while he enjoyed the solidarity of floral arrangements, would much rather be holed up in a library or scratching away on parchment. Which is what he did when business was slow and there was barely enough money to keep open the doors.

Remus wrote and wrote and wrote, until his fingers were cramped and stained with ink. He wrote until he heard the tinkle of the bell banging against the opening door, which pulled him out of the fictional world he’d been creating.

The man that opened the door this time was something out of a novel.

When Remus jerked his head up, he had thought he was still engrossed in writing. Dark curly hair framed a jawline and cheekbones that could slice. His skin was a pale, delicate contrast to his striking features, accentuating a beauty that Remus suspected ensnared a lot of people, including him. He felt his breath hitch slightly at the loud presence of this man disrupting the quiet peace that Remus had been basking in for most of the morning. A pair of slate gray eyes glared at Remus with an intensity previously unknown to the flower shop.

Remus, though, was rather good at regaining and keeping his composure. He eyed the angry-looking man and waited patiently for his inevitable request: a bouquet of roses (obviously symbolizing love), or maybe hyacinth (regret, or forgiveness) if the situation had gone to hell.

What he did not count on, however, was the man forcefully placing his hands on the counter to trap Remus and blurting, “How do I passive-aggressively say ‘Fuck you’ in flower?”

Remus blinked, not knowing how exactly to respond to that. He opened his mouth once, just to try to see if anything would come out, but his mouth just hung there.

“Listen—” the man started, running his hand through his hair impatiently. “One of my best mates just got fucked over by this bird—red haired, fiery _witch_ ,” he spit a bit too vehemently for Remus’ taste, “And I reckon that ‘Fuck you’ in flower is less harsh than a verbal ‘Fuck you.’”

Remus tried to gather his scattered thoughts, but it was futile. This was all rather different from a quiet Tuesday sitting behind a desk daydreaming about faraway places and perfectly chiseled jawlines. “Well—” he started slowly, desperately trying to take his eyes off this masterpiece of a man standing before him.

The man gestured for him to to go on.

“There’s geraniums, which represent stupidity, and foxgloves for insincerity.” Remus racked his brain for more negative connotations to flowers, but this was a slightly peculiar request. Usually, Remus dealt with roses for lovers and brides-to-be and any other _pleasant_ flower. Certainly not ‘Fuck you’ flowers.

“Meadowsweet for uselessness, yellow carnations for disappointment, and…orange lilies for hatred, but I think hatred’s rather much for a flower arrangement.”

The man’s smile had been growing throughout Remus’ list of unsavory flower symbols, but it seemed to grow impossibly wide when he mentioned lilies. His eyes practically sparkled with glee. 

“You see,” he started enthusiastically, “this bird’s name is Lily. Honest to fuck, her name is Lily. This is _perfect_ ,” he crooned, making Remus a little worried for this woman’s wellbeing.

“I—alright, I take it you want a bouquet of all those I mentioned?” Remus asked carefully, not wanting to set off the excitable man, praying that the sale was to be made so that he could pay rent. He was _so close_. 

“Yes,” the man practically wept, and Remus thought this was a little dramatic for the situation at hand. It was just flowers. 

He swiped the man’s credit card and handed it back, then told him if he didn’t mind to wait he could arrange the set in about ten minutes. It was pure luck that they had all of the particular flowers the man wanted actually in stock.

As soon as the arrangement was done, the man was out the door in two seconds flat. It wasn’t until Remus sat down to begin writing again that it occurred to him that he hadn’t found out the man’s name. 

\--------------------------------

Two days later, a woman with blazing red hair and even brighter eyes stormed in the door.

“Are you the man that sold these flowers?” She shook the bouquet in Remus’ face, consequently causing him to almost sneeze. He prayed it wouldn’t happen, because this woman seemed like she might explode at the tiniest provocation.

It was _that_ bouquet. The one that _that_ man had practically hassled him to sell, and it seemed that _this_ was the fiery witch that the man had given it to. The one that had broken his best mate’s heart.

“I—yes, it seems that I did sell them, as it says Full Moon Florals on the tag, and I am the only one who works here,” Remus reasoned, and the woman’s posture seemed to straighten.

Oh, no.

“Well, let me tell you what I think about these godd—” she started, but Remus felt inclined to stop her before she started yelling, an act which Remus absolutely despised.

“Ma’am,” he began carefully, “I only sold those flowers because I had to. Now, I don’t want to seem like I am making excuses, but I was short on rent and I needed everything I could get. Normally, I don’t condone the selling of ‘Fuck you’ flower arrangements, but the man was entirely too persistent and I didn’t have a good enough reason to say no.”

All of this came out slowly and clearly, as to make sure the woman wouldn’t burst into flames. Rather, she seemed to deflate with Remus’ words.

“All right, I believe you,” she said, almost wearily. 

“I’m guessing you’re the Lily the man was in a tizzy over?” he asked timidly.

The woman, Lily, nodded. “That damn bastard wrote down on the card what each flower represents,” she muttered. “I fucked up.”

Remus only raised his eyebrows, not wanting to press for more information. But Lily seemed willing to give it.

“You see, I’ve known this bloke, James, for quite a while. Since primary school, actually. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s been obsessed with me—like writing ballads and other weird shit obsessed. The past year, he’s been noticeably more tolerable, and I’ve come to realize he’s not entirely terrible.” It sounded like she was physically pained to tell Remus this.

“Anyway, he was harassing me the other day, and I just kind of…snapped. It wasn’t that what he was doing was particularly horrible that day, but I’d had enough. I shouted things that should…never be told to someone else. It was horrible,” she finished quietly, looking thoroughly miserable.

Remus thought that was a lot of information to give a stranger over a counter, but who was he to judge?

“Well, Lily, not to seem rude, but have you actually tried apologizing yet?” 

Lily’s head snapped up, but her temporary anger evaporated. “No,” she admitted, “I haven’t gathered the courage. I guess these flowers are what I deserve.” Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and Remus pitied her.

Remus hadn’t had a lot of experience in the realm of best mates and betrayals, but he offered what advice he would think best if he were the one in this bloke James’ position. “I would start with that. Have a good long chat. If he’s not as terrible of a guy as you say he is, he’ll forgive you. But first, I’d start with the man who first came in here. It sounds like he’s the one you need to convince, not James.”

When the doorbell jangled again, he didn’t look up to see Lily hurrying away. 

\--------------------------------

One month later, the man came in again.

This time, Remus was actually doing his job for once, watering the display flowers in the front windowsills of the store. When the bell sounded, he twisted from behind the hydrangeas to see who his new customer was, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw him. 

But, Remus possessing the admirable quality of politeness, just smiled and asked, “How can I help you today?”

The man narrowed his eyes at Remus, which made him put down the watering can and come out to face the man. “Have I done something?” he asked, which was a quite unreasonable question to ask a stranger seeing that he didn’t know this man, but Remus had a feeling he knew what was coming. 

“What did you say to her?” the man asked quite brashly, causing a flush to begin in Remus’ cheeks. “She acted like a rational human being, which is _not_ her style. So either you talked to her or God decided to shove his foot up her arse, which I’m guessing didn’t happen.” 

Remus didn’t like the way the man was assessing him, so he decided to be frank, though it came out rather faint. “I told her what she needed to hear. That apologizing was better than letting a would she didn’t want to appear in the first place to grow infected.”

The man just stared at Remus. He’d never been the best at keeping eye contact, but Remus made an effort with this man. He seemed…extreme, like someone who took life head on and didn’t analyze before jumping in. He didn’t seem like the type of man to approve of someone who cowered from locking eyes. 

But after the man had his fill of uncomfortable eye contact, he murmured, “Sirius Black,” and offered a small smirk that sent goosebumps up Remus’ spine.

He wanted to feel it again.

So he smiled back at the man, Sirius, and offered his own name. “Remus Lupin.”

Sirius’ eyes flicked everywhere over Remus’ face, finding something infinitely precious there as he asked, “Remus, would you like to go on a date with me?”

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i found this prompt on pinterest but i want to give proper credit because its from a tumblr post. i dont know the link but the op is tumblr user demisexualmerrill and the person who gave the flower inspo was tumblr user koscheiis. thanks for reading!


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